AMD Radeon RX 7700S vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear split between these two GPUs, with the AMD Radeon RX 7700S taking two of the three direct comparisons while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti claims one significant victory. The most decisive result comes in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RX 7700S scores 2185 against the GTX 980 Ti's 1321, a 65.4% advantage. This is not a marginal difference; it indicates that the modern AMD part delivers substantially higher performance in this particular DirectX 12 workload.

The Geekbench OpenCL result follows a similar pattern, though the margin is narrower. The RX 7700S records 62983 points while the GTX 980 Ti manages 43513, putting the AMD card 44.7% ahead. Both of these wins are substantial and suggest that in compute-oriented and modern API scenarios, the RX 7700S holds a commanding lead.

However, the NVIDIA card fights back in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here the GTX 980 Ti scores 47724 against the RX 7700S's 36380, a 23.8% advantage for the older NVIDIA part. This is notable because it shows that the Maxwell architecture is still competitive in certain Vulkan workloads, despite being from an earlier generation. The win is not trivial, but it does not offset the magnitude of the AMD victories in the other two tests.

Looking at aggregate performance, the RX 7700S has an average benchmark score of 33849 across its recorded tests, placing it in the 78th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The GTX 980 Ti averages 28020 and sits in the 73rd percentile. The RX 7700S also benefits from a more favorable position among its nearest rivals. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon HD 7950, averages 33951, which is just 0.3% higher than the RX 7700S. The AMD Radeon RX 480 is 0.4% higher, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is 0.5% lower and the NVIDIA RTX A5000 is 0.7% lower. This cluster of results places the RX 7700S in a tightly contested area of the performance spectrum.

The GTX 980 Ti's nearest rivals tell a similar story. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500X averages 27973, just 0.2% below the GTX 980 Ti, while the AMD FirePro S7150 is 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 7800M is 0.5% lower and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 0.7% lower. These margins are all within a single percentage point, indicating that the GTX 980 Ti's average score is representative of a well-populated performance tier.

The head-to-head win tally is 2 wins for the RX 7700S and 1 win for the GTX 980 Ti. When interpreting these numbers, the magnitude of the AMD victories matters more than the simple count. A 65.4% lead in Steel Nomad and a 44.7% lead in OpenCL are far larger gaps than the 23.8% NVIDIA lead in Vulkan. Benchmark results indicate that the RX 7700S is the stronger overall performer, but the Vulkan result prevents a complete sweep and demonstrates that the GTX 980 Ti retains specific strengths.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from very different eras of GPU design. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, using the Navi 33 chip with the codename Hotpink Bonefish. It belongs to the Navi Mobile generation, specifically the RX 7000M family, and was released on 2023-01-03. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture with the GM200 chip and belongs to the GeForce 900 generation, released on 2015-06-01. This gap of nearly eight years explains many of the technical differences.

The manufacturing process is one of the most striking contrasts. The RX 7700S uses a 6 nm process at TSMC, while the GTX 980 Ti uses a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. This process node difference has a direct impact on transistor density. The RX 7700S packs 13,300 million transistors into a die size of 204 mm², yielding a density of 65.2 million transistors per square millimeter. The GTX 980 Ti has 8,000 million transistors on a much larger 601 mm² die, resulting in a density of only 13.3 million per square millimeter. The RX 7700S achieves over four times the transistor density of the GTX 980 Ti.

Memory configurations also differ substantially. The RX 7700S has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 980 Ti has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 336.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Despite having less memory, the GTX 980 Ti actually has higher memory bandwidth due to its wider bus, although the RX 7700S compensates with faster memory clocks. The RX 7700S memory runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective speed, while the GTX 980 Ti memory runs at 1753 MHz with 7 Gbps effective speed.

The compute resources are organized differently. The RX 7700S has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. It also includes 32 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the GTX 980 Ti. The GTX 980 Ti has 2816 shading units, 176 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, all higher numbers than the AMD card. However, the RX 7700S achieves higher fill rates despite fewer units. Its pixel rate is 160.0 GPixel/s versus 103.3 GPixel/s for the GTX 980 Ti, and its texture rate is 320.0 GTexel/s versus 189.4 GTexel/s.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The RX 7700S has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a game clock of 2200 MHz. The GTX 980 Ti has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1076 MHz. The higher clocks on the AMD card allow it to achieve 20.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, more than three times the GTX 980 Ti's 6.060 TFLOPS. The RX 7700S also supports FP16 at 40.96 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, a capability the GTX 980 Ti does not list.

Power characteristics are another major divergence. The RX 7700S has a TDP of 100 W and is described as an IGP form factor with no power connectors, making it suitable for portable devices. The GTX 980 Ti has a TDP of 250 W, uses a dual-slot design, requires 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 600 W. The RX 7700S uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the GTX 980 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the RX 7700S has portable device dependent outputs, while the GTX 980 Ti offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2.

API support shows the generational gap. The RX 7700S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 980 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 7700S is listed as Active in production status, while the GTX 980 Ti is End-of-life and has a successor in the GeForce 10 series. The GTX 980 Ti's predecessor is the GeForce 700 series, while the RX 7700S's predecessor is Polaris Mobile.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700S has an average benchmark score of 33849, placing it in the 78th percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti has an average score of 28020, placing it in the 73rd percentile.

Q: How large is the RX 7700S's lead in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The RX 7700S scores 2185 in this test, while the GTX 980 Ti scores 1321. This gives the AMD card a 65.4% advantage, the largest margin in any of the three head-to-head comparisons.

Q: Is there any test where the GTX 980 Ti wins?

A: Yes, in the Geekbench Vulkan test the GTX 980 Ti scores 47724 against the RX 7700S's 36380, a 23.8% advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: What memory configurations do the two cards use?

A: The RX 7700S uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 980 Ti uses 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 336.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the GTX 980 Ti support ray tracing?

A: No, the GTX 980 Ti has no ray tracing cores listed in the database. The RX 7700S includes 32 ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The RX 7700S has a TDP of 100 W and uses no power connectors. The GTX 980 Ti has a TDP of 250 W and requires 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 600 W.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification category. The process node is 6 nm for the RX 7700S versus 28 nm for the GTX 980 Ti. Transistor count is 13,300 million versus 8,000 million. Die size is 204 mm² versus 601 mm². Transistor density is 65.2 million per mm² versus 13.3 million per mm².

Clock speeds differ significantly. The RX 7700S has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a game clock of 2200 MHz. The GTX 980 Ti has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1076 MHz. Memory clocks are 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective for the AMD card, versus 1753 MHz with 7 Gbps effective for the NVIDIA card.

Memory specifications show 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus for the RX 7700S, versus 6 GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus for the GTX 980 Ti. Bandwidth is 288.0 GB/s for the AMD card and 336.6 GB/s for the NVIDIA card. The RX 7700S has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, plus 32 ray tracing cores. The GTX 980 Ti has 2816 shading units, 176 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores.

Pixel rate is 160.0 GPixel/s for the RX 7700S versus 103.3 GPixel/s for the GTX 980 Ti. Texture rate is 320.0 GTexel/s versus 189.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 20.48 TFLOPS versus 6.060 TFLOPS. The RX 7700S also lists FP16 at 40.96 TFLOPS, while the GTX 980 Ti has no FP16 figure.

TDP is 100 W for the RX 7700S versus 250 W for the GTX 980 Ti. The AMD card is IGP slot width with no power connectors, while the NVIDIA card is dual-slot with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU. Bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are portable device dependent for the RX 7700S, versus 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2 for the GTX 980 Ti.

API support differs on DirectX: the RX 7700S supports 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 980 Ti supports 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. Production status is Active for the RX 7700S and End-of-life for the GTX 980 Ti. Release dates are 2023-01-03 for the AMD card and 2015-06-01 for the NVIDIA card. The GTX 980 Ti has a launch MSRP of 649 USD. The RX 7700S has no launch MSRP listed. The GTX 980 Ti has physical dimensions of 267 mm length, 111 mm height, and 40 mm width, while the RX 7700S has no listed dimensions.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon RX 7700S as the stronger overall performer. It wins two of three head-to-head tests, and its victories are decisive: 65.4% ahead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 44.7% ahead in Geekbench OpenCL. Its average benchmark score of 33849 is higher than the GTX 980 Ti's 28020, and it sits in a higher percentile at 78 versus 73. The RX 7700S also offers modern features like ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and a 6 nm process, all while consuming 100 W compared to 250 W.

The GTX 980 Ti is not without merit. Its 23.8% win in Geekbench Vulkan shows that it retains competence in specific workloads. It also has higher memory bandwidth at 336.6 GB/s and more shading units, TMUs, and ROPs. However, these advantages do not translate into overall performance superiority. The GTX 980 Ti is an end-of-life product from 2015, while the RX 7700S is an active product from 2023.

For a buyer choosing between these two based purely on measured performance, the RX 7700S is the clear choice. It delivers higher scores in most tests, has a better average benchmark result, and includes architectural features that the GTX 980 Ti cannot match. The GTX 980 Ti would only be preferable in scenarios that specifically favor Vulkan performance or that require its higher memory bandwidth.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7700S wins in DirectX 12 workloads, as demonstrated by its 65.4% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. It also wins in OpenCL compute performance, with a 44.7% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL. Its ray tracing cores make it the only one of the two capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) gives it access to newer rendering features. The 100 W TDP makes it suitable for portable devices, and its 6 nm process node provides efficiency that the 28 nm GTX 980 Ti cannot approach. Its FP32 performance of 20.48 TFLOPS is more than three times that of the GTX 980 Ti, and its pixel and texture rates are both higher.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti wins in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where it leads by 23.8%. Its higher memory bandwidth of 336.6 GB/s could be advantageous in bandwidth-sensitive scenarios, and its larger number of shading units, TMUs, and ROPs may help in certain legacy workloads. The card's desktop-oriented design, with dual-slot cooling, 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, makes it a conventional desktop GPU, whereas the RX 7700S is designed for portability. The GTX 980 Ti also has a defined physical footprint at 267 mm by 111 mm by 40 mm, which is relevant for desktop case compatibility.

In summary, the RX 7700S is the better choice for modern DirectX 12 gaming, compute workloads, and any application that benefits from ray tracing or newer API features. The GTX 980 Ti retains a niche for Vulkan-specific tasks and scenarios where its wider memory bus and higher bandwidth are put to use. The benchmark results indicate that the RX 7700S is the more capable and future-proof GPU, while the GTX 980 Ti is a legacy part with one clear area of strength.